How to Make Pie Crust By Hand
This tutorial will teach you everything you need to know for How to Make Pie Crust by Hand to create beautiful and delicious handmade pie crust!
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 00:10
- Yield: 2-9" Pie Crusts
- Category: Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2–3/4 cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 18 tablespoons (250 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) ice water, more as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the butter and toss to coat with the flour. Using your fingers, squeeze and work the butter into the flour. Use both hands and make the motion as if you were dealing out cards. Continue squeezing and tossing until most of the butter looks shaggy. Some larger pieces can remain, up to the size of a marble.
- Add the vinegar to the ice water. Drip in 3/4 of it throughout the dough, then toss the mixture together with your fingers. When there is enough water added, the dough should easily squeeze together with your hands. Transfer any fully hydrated dough to a work surface. Drip in more water as needed to any remaining dry spots. Add just enough water to bring the dough together.
- Using your hands, gently bring the dough together into one large ball. Divide it into two equal pieces, about 12 ounces each. Shape each piece into a rough disk.
- Place each disk in a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the wrapped dough out until it stretches to the edges of the plastic wrap to ensure a tight seal.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Notes
Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level it, it could change the outcome of the final product.
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.
You can store this pie dough in the refrigerator for 2 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to store it for an extended period of time, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap.
How you bake a butter pie crust is just as important as how you prepare it. The key rule: very cold dough should go into a very hot oven, ideally at 425ºF. However, it's best to refer to the filling recipe for any specific key details about baking the crust. See this Guide to Baking Double Crust pies for more baking tips.
This tutorial was originally published in 2020. Since then, I've updated the accompanying article and step-by-step tutorials to offer the best possible guidance on how to make it.
This recipe makes enough pastry to make one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies. You can halve the recipe if you only want to make one single-crust pie.
Find it online: https://everydaypie.com/how-to-make-pie-crust-by-hand/